I still love you Ford, and you almost had me ...
http://gas2.org/2014/06/20/op-ed-why-i-now-want-a-tesla-instead-of-the-2015-mustang/
Op-Ed: Why I Now Want A Tesla Instead Of The 2015 Mustang
by Christopher DeMorro [2014/06/20]
[image
http://c1gas2org.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2014/06/tesla-mustang.jpg
Tesla vs. Mustang
http://c1gas2org.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2014/06/mustang-sales-chart-web.jpg
Mustang sales by year
http://c1gas2org.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2013/12/06-2015-ford-mustang-1.jpg
2015 Ford Mustang Ecoboost
http://c1gas2org.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/files/2014/03/tesla-test-6.jpg
]
Last week, the 2015 Mustang configurator went live, giving a longtime
Mustang fan like myself the opportunity to spec out the latest and greatest
version of America's pony car. And I did just that. Once. After 5 years of
writing and wringing my hands over the 2015 Mustang, a car I had convinced
myself I *must* have . I found myself rather ambivalent about the whole
thing.
Why? The first car I tried to buy for myself was a Fox-body Mustang GT, an
idea my mother quickly shot down (likely a wise move, as I still got in
plenty of trouble with the Saab 900 Turbo I bought instead). I own a 1969
Mercury Cougar, a classier version of the Mustang that shares the same
unibody and many other parts and features. I've always loved Mustangs, and
the 2015 Mustang was supposed to be the car all my hard-earned savings would
go towards.
But I no longer want to spend my money on a 2015 Mustang. Instead, I want
the Tesla Model S, and the reason why has less to do with the cars as
mechanical devices, and more to do with what both cars mean.
The 2015 Mustang packs a big tech punch, incorporating features like
push-button start, the SYNC infotainment system, and performance-monitoring
apps as standard features on the EcoBoost and GT models. But even with the
addition of a 300 horsepower, four-cylinder EcoBoost engine, the Mustang
remains stuck in the hard-headed muscle car ideology of using a big V8
engine to make big power. 50 years ago, that was fine. 25 years ago, that
was still fine. Heck, even ten years ago, nobody was predicting the end of
big V8 muscle cars.
But after an economy-crippling recession and stubbornly high gas prices that
seem ready to spiral even higher, getting stuck for another decade with a
Mustang that is still, at its core, the same vehicle it's been for the past
50 years just seems.backwards. Worse still, Ford has remained stubbornly
conservative with the Mustang's drivetrain in an effort to hold on to a
dwindling number of buyers. Mustang sales dropped off dramatically after the
recession, and even with a brand new car, the appetite for thirsty V8s isn't
what it used to be.
Every time Ford redesigns the Mustang, it doubles down on the idea that the
only way to make it is with a big V8 under the hood, which makes it harder
and harder to change course. Even at 300 horsepower, the base V6 engine
still feels barely adequate to move an increasingly heavy car, and the
EcoBoost engine will be only mildly better even with the performance pack.
There's still going to be a more than 100 horsepower difference between the
EcoBoost and GT models. But I'm willing to bet they'll both require premium
fuel, which is now nearing $5 a gallon in my neck of the woods. For the cost
of a couple of gallons of gas though, I can top off a Tesla Model S and have
up to 265 miles of official driving range, which is more than I need 95%
of the time.
At this point, the idea of having a Mustang with a hybrid, electric, or
diesel drivetrain is something that I don't see happening until 2020 or
beyond, if it ever happens. For all its new features, the 2015 Mustang is
still stuck in a 20th century mindset. Remember, the first four-cylinder
turbo Mustang came out in 1979; all Ford did has done is rehash an old idea
for an audience that might be more accepting this time around. But for all
the enthusiasm I've shown the four-banger Mustang, I'm also willing to
entertain the thought that the Mustang EcoBoost might just be a flop. Again.
I feel a little bad writing all of this if I'm honest, because it feels like
I've turned my back on an old friend. My fleet of Fords was always good to
me, and I still love the Mustang, what it was, and what it is .
. but, in the past week, Tesla Motors has become my favorite automaker. It's
become the company I want to give my hard-earned cash to. During my test
drive of the Tesla Model S, I found it a fast, fun, and responsive vehicle
that truly felt like something from the future, and not just because it has
an electric drivetrain. The huge touchscreen interface controls every aspect
of the Model S, something no other automaker has yet done, not because they
can't, but because they think we aren't ready for it. There's also the
nationwide network of free Tesla Superchargers, which can top off a depleted
85 kWh Model S in less than an hour.
Last week Elon Musk sealed the deal for me
